ZUCCHINI & CHICKEN PASTA

My beautiful friend surprised me with a fruit & vegetable twister-processing device a few weeks back, after we had attended a raw cooking class and saw one of these babies in action. You can make anything into spaghetti with these nifty circular devices. The best news is that whilst they may cost up to $80 to buy in a store, they are only around $8 on ebay or on selective websites. I used mine just this morning to create extremely healthy raw zucchini pasta (however the chicken ruined that ‘raw’ title for this dish). These twisting devices are quite simple to use, however if I give you one tip it is to be patient when starting out for the first time. Make sure you cut the vegetable in half or even into thirds so that you can fit the zucchini/carrot/whatever into the device comfortably. Do not try to jam the vegetable up in the cylinder or the twisting just will not happen (guilty). I’m hoping that this zucchini pasta will trick my mind into thinking I am eating actual gluten-free pasta and will cure me of my dangerous portion control issues when eating the real deal...

INGREDIENTS

• 4 small to medium zucchini, ends removed and cut into half
• sea salt
• 250-300g chicken, cut into small pieces
• 1 heaped teaspoon miso paste
• sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon white & 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
• 1 tomato, sliced into thin wedges
• Equipment- a twister fruit & vegetable processing device (I used the device above) or a vegetable spiraliser or two-bladed Julianne peeler. 

PREPARATION & COOKING

1. Combine the chicken pieces, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon water and miso paste in a medium bowl. Stir well to combine, adding more water if the paste does not mix in well with the chicken. Place in the refrigerator to marinade. 

2. Twist the zucchini through the twister device, one half at a time and let the noodles fall into a large bowl. When all the zucchini has been made into noodles, sprinkle with a generous pinch of sea salt & toss well. Leave the salt to absorb some of the water. 

3. Remove the chicken from the fridge. Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat and add the chicken. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes or until all the chicken is cooked and browning slightly. Remove from heat and add to the pasta. 

4. Combine the lime juice, vinegar, fish sauce and 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a small jug or bowl. Whisk to combine and then pour onto the noodles and chicken. Add the sesame seeds and toss well to mix all the ingredients together. Add sliced tomato as a garnish. 

Serves / 2

Total Preparation time (including making the noodles) / 15- 20 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 10 minutes 

x Emily